Skip to main content

Blumenauer Praises Senate Passage of the Bipartisan Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, Calls it a “Historic Breakthrough”

November 16, 2022

Legislation will be the first piece of standalone federal marijuana reform enacted since the Controlled Substance Act of 1971

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, released the following statement praising the passage of his bipartisan Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act in the Senate: 

“After working on the issue of cannabis reform for decades, finally the dam is starting to break. The passage of my Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act in the House and Senate represents a historic breakthrough in addressing the federal government’s failed and misguided prohibition of cannabis. 

“As we have seen in state after state, the public is tired of waiting for the federal government to catch up. Nearly half of our nation’s population now live in states where adult-use of cannabis is legal. For far too long, Congress has stood in the way of science and progress, creating barriers for researchers attempting to study cannabis and its benefits. At a time when more than 155 million Americans reside where adult-use of cannabis is legal at the state or local level and there are four million registered medical marijuana users with many more likely to self-medicate, it is essential that we are able to fully study the impacts of cannabis use. 

“The passage of this legislation coming just weeks after the change in President Biden’s posture towards cannabis is extraordinarily significant. We must capitalize on this momentum to move subsequent common-sense House-passed bills like the SAFE Banking Act, which finally allows state-legal dispensaries to access banking services and reduce their risk of violent robberies.”

###